This invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting and discriminating articles that are within a predetermined range of a specification into lots. More particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting and discriminating articles as aforesaid that have been separated and singulated while being conveyed to the apparatus of the present invention. The specification could be volume, individual or total, of articles; size or other physical characteristic of the articles; count of articles; or combinations of these properties.
Devices for counting or aggregating articles are known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,313,508 and 5,454,016, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties, disclose methods and apparatus for counting irregularly shaped articles. A pair of alternately energized light sources is provided at a sensing plane through which articles to be counted pass. Each of the light sources emits a light beam that is at an angle to the other light beam, such as an angle of about 90xc2x0.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,772, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an apparatus and method for aggregating a desired number of articles without individually counting out each article to achieve the desired number. A stream of the articles is discharged into a weigh hopper until substantially a predetermined weight of articles is in the hopper. The number of articles in the hopper is determined from the total weight of the hopper and the weight of a single article.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,870, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses an apparatus which comprises a plurality of outlets radiating outwardly from the periphery of a feeder bowl. The number of outlets can be as few as two with no upper limit except as dictated by physical constraints. It is possible that as many as about 100 could be used depending on bowl size and/or diameter, and track size. Specifically, the device has multiple tracks spiraling or radially exiting out from a center cone or other structure. The tracks all have tooling designed to shed bulk loose product down to single file feed, exiting product in controlled flow from the bowl around the entire periphery at the end of each track. The bowl passes the excess overflow via an integral catch pan that provides a path for the bulk excess product to exit the bowl feeder from underneath the multiple tracks for a return run through the multi-track feeder. At each exit, an optical parts detector, laser, light beam, load cell, or similar type device, with a product diverter gate, and an accumulator with discharge gates, is positioned to count, weigh, apportion by volume, discriminate by some other characteristic of the articles, or some combination of these properties, the loose product into the desired batch size or volume. These detectors may combine their counts for large batch sizes, or each be individually programmed to count each total batch or any combination of these optical batches and weighed batches satisfying their requested batch size or volume.
In another aspect of the invention of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,870, a bowl configuration is provided for bulk product distribution that can deliver product uniformly and/or oriented in a controlled fashion out its entire periphery overflowing out of itself evenly and smoothly around a 360 degree circle. This bowl is designed to receive bulk product from bucket conveyors, bin vibratory elevators, and/or other similar delivery means. This device by nature of its design shape will collect the product in the bottom center of a cone, bowl or other similar shaped device. The bowl has spiral vanes, tracks, diverters, or other similar devices affixed to its interior surfaces that will guide and encourage the product to climb out of and spread itself evenly and uniformly out of the periphery of the device.
Because previously known devices do not detect and package a lot of articles having a predetermined count and a predetermined size and reject lots having articles falling outside the predetermined size range, in my copending application Ser. No. 09/970,658, filed Oct. 5, 2001, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, I disclose a counter unit for counting discrete articles within a predetermined size range into lots having a predetermined number of articles. The counter unit includes (1) a first conveyor that delivers a flow of articles separated at intervals, and (2) at least one bin positioned to receive articles from the conveyor. The at least one bin may have first and second outlet gates for emptying the articles into first and second separate locations. A detector unit counts the articles that are received from the conveyor into the at least one bin and which fall within the predetermined size range.
A control unit causes the first outlet gate to open when the count of articles is equal to the predetermined number of articles. However, when an article falls outside the predetermined size range, the detector generates an out-of-size signal. The control unit, upon receipt of the out-of-size signal from the detector unit, causes the second outlet gate to open, thereby rejecting the articles. The counter unit may also be used to for counting articles having a predetermined color into lots having a predetermined number of articles. When an article does not have the predetermined color, the detector generates an out-of-color signal. The control unit, upon receipt of the out-of-color signal from the detector unit, causes the second outlet gate to open, thereby rejecting the articles.
The counter unit of the aforementioned application Ser. No. 09/970,658 is quick and efficient. There is a need, however, for an improvement on that counter unit which is more suitable for: use with certain applications. In particular, although as non-limiting examples, in packaging of pharmaceutical dosage forms such as pills, capsules, or the like; or of foods such as soups or other mixtures of various ingredients, apportioning the articles by gross volume is more efficient.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the deficiencies of prior art devices and methods and to provide an apparatus and method for apportioning articles that accurately counts a predetermined number of discrete articles, regardless of size and/or shape, and/or dispenses articles that are within predetermined specifications such as total size or volume.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an article detecting and counting or volume totaling apparatus that is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and to maintain and that is both accurate and reliable.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of counting and portioning articles accurately and efficiently
Consistent with the foregoing objects, the present invention provides an article detecting and counting apparatus which comprises a detector unit which detects and maintains a count of articles that are received in the apparatus or which fall within a predetermined range of a predetermined specification such as volume, which detector generates an out-of-specification signal when an article or group of articles received in the apparatus falls outside the predetermined range; a chamber positioned to receive articles from a flow of articles delivered to the apparatus; a diverter gate which holds and releases batches of articles for further processing, the diverter gate being disposed in the chamber; at least first and second outlet gates for emptying articles from apparatus into respective first and second locations which are separated from each other; and a control unit which causes the first outlet gate to open when the count or volume of articles is equal to the predetermined number and/or the articles fall within the predetermined range of the predetermined volume, for example, and causes the second outlet gate to open in response to receipt of an out-of-specification signal from the scanner.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.